1. Field of the Invention
The present invention falls within the field of dismantlable and foldable shelters designed to be used outdoors, in particular of the folding tent type.
The invention particularly relates to a device for setting up a shelter.
Such a device will preferably, but not exclusively, be applicable in the arrangement of equipment offering space and a storage, stowage or product presentation surface.
2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 37 CFR 1.98.
In a known manner, during demonstrations such as expositions, markets or similar occasions, each exhibitor and/or businessperson sets up a booth, or shelter, that comprises a framework made up of a dismantlable structure, and associated with a tarp or similar means. There are several types of dismantlable structures, and most often such structures are provided to be quickly and easily set up and dismantled.
Dismantlable structures, which are primarily made from metal, include those made up of nesting elements, and those made up of deployable elements.
Structures with deployable elements assume the form of a set of articulated profiles, of the pantograph type, to allow the transition from a deployed position suitable for supporting a tarp or similar member, to a folded position for transport.
These structures with deployable elements comprise posts, generally four or six, designed to make up the legs of the structure, and profiles connecting two adjacent posts to form tie-beams, and optionally profiles connected to one another and each of the posts to form rafters. In the folded position, the posts are positioned parallel to one another, while the profiles are folded against one another between said posts. Furthermore, said posts can be provided to be telescoping.
These deployable structures have many advantages relative to the other structure types, in particular regarding the ease and speed of installation. However, they are limited regarding the arrangement possibilities, in particular by adding a horizontal peripheral wall, for example to form a counter or bar, a tray, or an outward extension of the shelter, and/or a vertical wall to form a separation between the inside and the outside of said shelter, or to compartmentalize the inner space of said shelter.
One solution is described in document FR 2,868,101, targeting a structure made up of a vertical upright along which two upper and lower arms are in particular articulated, at one end, the opposite end of which is able to cooperate by fastening with a post, through an assembly by pinching. To that end, each arm comprises a pair of profiles spaced apart and extending in parallel, said end of which grips said post on either side. Thus, the upper arm can serve as a support for a surface, in particular a plate, while the lower arm ensures the geometry of the structure thus formed. By fixing two identical structures on two adjacent beams, it is then possible to produce a counter or shelf, extending both toward the inside and outside relative to the structure of the shelter.
More specifically, the ends of the profiles fastened with the posts each form part of the jaw of a clip. The inner surface of each part is configured to become complementary with respect to the outer section of the posts of the shelter. In particular, in the case of hexagonal posts, each part inwardly has two faces inclined relative to one another and ends with a lug at their free end. Thus, it is possible to orient the structure by allowing it to rotate around the post, according to angular portions corresponding to said section. In the case of a hexagonal section, it is then possible to orient the arms angularly every 60°.
However, although such a solution forms bases each connected to a post of the shelter, it does not provide optimal stability of the surface that it receives, in particular lateral stability. Furthermore, the surface must necessarily bear on the horizontal arms, limiting the possible configurations. In short, set up is considerably limited in terms of possible arrangements.
Other solutions, in particular using telescoping beams directly connected to the members of the structure of the shelter, are described in documents FR 2,753,220, U.S. Pat. No. 2,836,860 and DE 86 23 982 U1. These solutions once again do not make it possible to obtain a modular arrangement and stability of the elements thus attached on the structure of the shelter.